Himax Achieves Mass Production of In-Cell Touch TDDI Technology for Leading AI Laptop Brands

TAINAN, Taiwan, Oct. 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Himax Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: HIMX), an industry leader in fabless display driver ICs and other semiconductors, today announced the successful mass production of its cutting-edge In-Cell Touch TDDI (Touch and Display Driver Integration) solution, the HX83132, for high-end LCD AI laptops. The HX83132 has already been adopted by several leading panel makers across the board. By entering mass production during the third quarter of 2024, this marks a significant milestone for the first-of-its-kind, innovative product. As notebook brand customers increasingly prioritize product differentiation and value enhancement, the integration of touch functionality into displays of high-end laptops and AI PCs has emerged as a key trend. Himax HX83132 is featured in one marquee brand's first AI laptops, which boasts a 15.3-inch, 2.8K high-resolution touch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, significantly enhancing both interactivity and visual experience for seamless, intuitive user operations.

In-cell TDDI has become a mainstream technology for LCD displays, characterized by the seamless integration of touch functionality with display driver ICs. This integration not only simplifies the supply chain but also provides substantial cost benefits to panel manufacturers. Having pioneered the mass production of In-cell TDDI technology for mid-sized tablets and automotive displays in 2019, Himax has established itself as the industry leader by introducing an industry-first touch display solution supporting screen sizes of up to 45 inches for ultra-large automotive applications. The newly launched HX83132 series further expands the application of In-cell TDDI technology to laptops, boasting a unique design architecture that pairs seamlessly with timing controller (Tcon) chips supporting various eDP specifications which make it suitable for both mainstream and high-end LCD laptops. This TDDI and Tcon configuration effectively minimizes the need for supporting components, resulting in a more compact PCB size and narrower bezel design. The HX83132 series offers precise touch sensitivity, ensuring smooth human-machine interaction, significantly enhancing user experience and improving productivity.

The industry-leading HX83132 In-cell TDDI solution offers the following key features:

• Flexible support for diverse panel sizes and resolutions: The advanced chip architecture can interconnect up to 6 chips, accommodating a wide range of laptop display needs with support for screen sizes up to 16 inches and resolutions up to 4K
  
  
• Optimized and streamlined module architecture design: The HX83132 solution outperforms competition by providing more display and touch channels at the same resolution while utilizing fewer ICs. Additionally, the integrated microprocessor and level shifter minimize the need for external components, resulting in a smaller PCB size and enhanced design efficiency
  
  
• Leveraging existing architecture for rapid In-cell Touch upgrades: The HX83132 features a state-of-the-art, integrated proprietary display driver and touch controller architecture. From a display perspective, it utilizes a standard Tcon architecture, which enables pure display panels, without the need for a dedicated Tcon for the In-cell touch functionality. Meanwhile, the TDDI integrates an in-house proprietary distributed touch microprocessor architecture, specifically designed to handle the high computational demands of touch data processing, effectively reducing development time
  
  
• Comprehensive support for various power-saving operation scenarios: The HX83132 is compatible with eDP 1.4 and eDP 1.5 Tcons, and supports multiple power-saving features, including Panel Self Refresh (PSR) and User-Based Refresh Rate (UBRR), optimizing energy efficiency across different usage scenarios
  

About Himax Technologies, Inc.

Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) is a leading global fabless semiconductor solution provider dedicated to display imaging processing technologies. The Company’s display driver ICs and timing controllers have been adopted at scale across multiple industries worldwide including TVs, PC monitors, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, automotive, ePaper devices, industrial displays, among others. As the global market share leader in automotive display technology, the Company offers innovative and comprehensive automotive IC solutions, including traditional driver ICs, advanced in-cell Touch and Display Driver Integration (TDDI), local dimming timing controllers (Local Dimming Tcon), Large Touch and Display Driver Integration (LTDI) and OLED display technologies. Himax is also a pioneer in tinyML visual-AI and optical technology related fields. The Company’s industry-leading WiseEye^TM Ultralow Power AI Sensing technology which incorporates Himax proprietary ultralow power AI processor, always-on CMOS image sensor, and CNN-based AI algorithm has been widely deployed in consumer electronics and AIoT related applications. Himax optics technologies, such as diffractive wafer level optics, LCoS microdisplays and 3D sensing solutions, are critical for facilitating emerging AR/VR/metaverse technologies. Additionally, Himax designs and provides touch controllers, OLED ICs, LED ICs, EPD ICs, power management ICs, and CMOS image sensors for diverse display application coverage. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan, Himax currently employs around 2,200 people from three Taiwan-based offices in Tainan, Hsinchu and Taipei and country offices in China, Korea, Japan, Germany, and the US. Himax has 2,683 patents granted and 390 patents pending approval worldwide as of September 30, 2024.

http://www.himax.com.tw

Forward Looking Statements

Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in this conference call include, but are not limited to, the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Company’s business; general business and economic conditions and the state of the semiconductor industry; market acceptance and competitiveness of the driver and non-driver products developed by the Company; demand for end-use applications products; reliance on a small group of principal customers; the uncertainty of continued success in technological innovations; our ability to develop and protect our intellectual property; pricing pressures including declines in average selling prices; changes in customer order patterns; changes in estimated full-year effective tax rate; shortage in supply of key components; changes in environmental laws and regulations; changes in export license regulated by Export Administration Regulations (EAR); exchange rate fluctuations; regulatory approvals for further investments in our subsidiaries; our ability to collect accounts receivable and manage inventory and other risks described from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including those risks identified in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, as may be amended.

Company Contacts:

Eric Li, Chief IR/PR Officer
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-6-505-0880
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw
  
Karen Tiao, Investor Relations
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-2-2370-3999
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw

Mark Schwalenberg, Director
Investor Relations - US Representative
MZ North America
Tel: +1-312-261-6430
Email: HIMX@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us